I’m a curator for The Art of Elyisum’s GENESIS September 5 at The Theater at The Ace Hotel and graffiti artist PUSH will be doing a live installation at 7pm. It’s not to be missed! Get your tickets, support the arts. Tickets are available here.

I was very sad to hear about the death of Z-Boy and skateboard legend Jay Adams. I did not know him well, but I met Jay a few times and he was always very quiet, but nice to me. His style and spontaneous aggression on a skateboard were incredibly inspiring. I was fortunate enough to work on the soundtrack package design for the documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys” with Glen E. Friedman, which led to me getting to know artist, photographer, and writer Craig Stecyk.

I was able make a print of Jay Adams in the early 2000’s based on a photo by Craig Stecyk. Craig, Jay, and I signed the prints, which was a huge honor for me. My friend Glen E. Friedman, who photographed Jay often and knew him very well, wrote a great tribute piece. Check it out. Skateboarding has lost a pioneer.

I accepted Joe Manganiello’s #ALSIceBucketChallenge. Please support the fight against ALS and donate by going to www.alsa.org and check out “Getting Up: The Tempt One Story” http://gettingup-thedoc.com/ while you’re at it. Adrian Grenier you’re next!
– Shepard

I am supporting the Gil Fulbright campaign to help shine the light on the big lie that we’re constantly being fed…that deregulating and giving tax breaks and wasteful subsidies to cronies and special interests is good for everyday Americans. These powerful special interests finance campaigns and ads in the shadows. I fully agree with the campaign’s stance that “America’s biggest problems are going unsolved because our government is overrun by Big Money special interests and lobbyists.” The campaign rightfully assesses that, “the amount of money corrupting our political system is at an all time high, so we’re setting out to make ‘fixing the corruption’ the #1 issue in America.”I have frequently talked about the many problems created by the current campaign finance structure. Big Money donations distort their influence in politics and corrupt our democracy. This is an issue not many Americans seem interested in, but it affects all Americans by insuring that Lobbyists and special interests are put before the interests of the average person. Genuine democracy should guarantee that politicians create the greatest good for the greatest number of people, but that idea has eroded with the favors owed by politicians to special interests in exchange for their contributions.Campaign finance reform is essential to restoring democracy. Gil Fulbright’s “campaign” helps to illustrate why current campaign finance has compromised and corrupted quality lawmaking and governing but in a very fun, digestible way that I can only hope will resonate with the greater public. Please help contribute and raise awareness to this extremely pressing issue that we all face.

Here’s a glimpse into the next stop in the eight city mural tour! The crew started in Los Angeles, then it was Chicago, and now they are in Philadelphia working on the latest piece. Check out some images of the mural in progress. More photos and information will be coming next week! Also, thanks to Adam Wallacavage for the photographs and thanks to Philadelphia Mural Arts for helping make this happen.

For all of you who missed all the action in Chicago this week… the Art Alliance Provocateurs show with its 200 plus pieces of fine art by 43 artists, the print sets, the music programming, and murals, or that other small deal… Lollapalooza… I am jealous of you because you got more sleep than I did. On the other hand, you didn’t do a 45 foot mural, DJ before Z-Trip, Nas, or Deltron 3030, or hang with a ton of cool artists and art fans like I did! Not to gloat, but I also got to see Interpol, Lorde, Eminem, and Z-Trip at Lollapalooza! Now that I have my hip-hop boasting out of the way, I can return to my normal, humble self and give thanks and praise where it’s due. Of course, I’m grateful to all of the artists who put such great work in the show, and to Pose, RETNA, Cleon Peterson, and WK Interact for doing murals in Chicago. The Provocateurs was very ambitious and would not have been possible without the very hard work and partnership of many people. My co-producers and staff worked tirelessly to make sure everything came together. Thank you to C3 and Lollapalooza, Lorrie Boula, Dan Flores, Nic Bowers, Rob Zagula, Beth Phares, Raihan Anwar, Amanda Fairey, Angela Chvarak, Mark Kelley, Block 37, Shelley Phillips, Jaclyn Mayer, John Liipfert, Columbia College, Hennessy, and all of our patrons and supporters. If you were there, thanks! If you missed it, check it out next year! -Shepard

The Bollocks:The 70s was a dismal period in England: high unemployment, unions out of control, the economy on a massive decline, England had lost its way.Punk came. We wanted to change everything, we wanted a piece of the pie, we wanted our own heroes. The Sex Pistols filled this role, four faces of the New British Youth, brash and ready. Ready to take no prisoners, ready to kick down the door of Establishment, ready to fulfill the dream.From the first time I met them, Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones and Paul Cook, I knew they meant it! 77 was the year, one long, short, chaotic, mad, amazing roller coaster year.The hysteria, the hatred, the backlash from the media and the Establishment came because the band, these four individuals, had the nerve to challenge the very things British society has built as standard.They mocked the Royal Family (“God Save the Queen”), they mocked the Establishment order of fun (“Holidays in the Sun”). The youths identified, the youths wanted to destroy, to destroy and rebuild.The Sex Pistols sparked the largest musical rock revolution in history and started the punk movement.Their extreme music sense, fashion style and their punk spirit still today influence society and artists from a broad range of fields including music, fashion, film, art …

The Ramones are one of my all-time favorite bands and I always enjoy going to the annual Johnny Ramone tribute that his wife Linda throws at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. There are a bunch of cool people hosting including Rob Zombie, so if you are a Ramones or Rob Zombie fan you should definitely check it out!

-Shepard

Rob Zombie hosts the 10th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute at Hollywood Forever Cemetery August 24. Evening will feature Johnny’s favorite things: A screening of The Devil’s Rejects with an autograph signing with the cast, an all-star band playing Ramones songs, & more. Tickets and details.

Stop by Art Alliance: The Provocateurs at Block 37 to pick up the official limited editions screen prints by Shepard Fairey. There are two color ways – gold and blue – for sale, editions of 450 for $50. The gallery is open from 10:00am CST to 6:00pm CST through Monday, August 4 and tickets are $12 at the door, or online at www.artalliance.com. Block Thirty Seven is located at 109 N. Dearborn Street.

This past Saturday SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS hosted the first-ever performance by multimedia art collective Cross My Heart Hope To Die (CMHHTD). The collective consists of Sean Bonner, Brevi, Andrew Kline (Strife), and DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill). The band put on an impressive performance in front of a maxed out crowd in Echo Park. More pictures and videos are coming out soon, including a video that was shot with a drone, which hovered over the stage and the crowd and is sure to have captured the magic of the night. The show titled Vita E Morte is up at SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS until August 23, come check it out!